Tampa Bay Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht appeared on the Pat McAfee Show to talk about the Bucs' offseason.
The main topic of discussion was the team's first-round draft pick, Rueben Bain Jr.. Bain was widely expected to be off the board by the time the Bucs were on the clock, and Licht and his staff were just as surprised as everybody else.
Jason Licht was shocked Rueben Bain Jr. fell to Buccaneers in 2026 NFL Draft
McAfee revealed that out of 21 ESPN mock drafts, none of them had Bain still available at No. 15 overall. Licht concurred, stating that there were very few scenarions in which they thought Bain would be there, but if he was, they'd sprint to the podium.
"My heart was beating out of my chest and there was so much excitement..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 5, 2026
We were shocked that Rueben Bain was still there for us" ~ @jasonrlicht #PMSLive https://t.co/jyN8pJA3SL pic.twitter.com/GCF68M2eWj
“My heart was beating out of my chest. I was about to pass out,” said Licht. “There was so much excitement just because of the shock a little bit that he was there, that he fell to us.”
The reason Bain fell was largely due to his arm length, as his sub-31-inch arms were the shortest for an edge rusher picked in the first round since 2003. But the Buccaneers have no concerns about that.
"Everybody's got a prototype. And we kind of viewed him as a problem, not a prototype. ... We just saw him as a game wrecker."
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) May 5, 2026
—Buccaneers GM @jasonrlicht on drafting Rueben Bain Jr. 🏈
(via @PatMcAfeeShow) pic.twitter.com/UvdaOWPog7
"Everybody's got a prototype. And we kind of viewed him as a problem, not a prototype. ... We just saw him as a game wrecker," said Licht.
Tampa Bay's lack of a pass rush has been a major weakness over the past few seasons. Licht said that the front office made it a priority this offseason to bolster the pass rush and get the defense back on track. Bain is the type of addition that can change their fortunes instantly.
In addition to drafting Bain, the team also signed Al-Quadin Muhammad in free agency, who is coming off an 11-sack season in Detroit. They're also getting last year's fourth-round pick David Walker back from injury. The team was extremely high on the rookie last offseason before he suffered a season-ending injury that ended his rookie campiagn before it even began.
On paper, this pass rush should be worlds better than last year's struggling unit. The biggest key to Todd Bowles' defensive scheme is getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks.It's no wonder Licht almost passed out from excitement after landing Bain, who could be a game-changing pass rusher in Tampa Bay for years to come.
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